Not Festive

1. I didn't wrap any gifts. I bought my dad a computer bag back in September (because that's when he needed it) and had it shipped directly to him. I bought my mom a fleece and shoved it in a plastic mailer. I got a Target gift card for my brother, his wife, and their son. I shoved that into the last of the leftover Christmas cards (I bought one box of cards in 2003 and have finally run out) with "Merry xmas" scrawled in ballpoint pen. That's the sum total of my shopping. Ran me $135. If I thought that I could get away with buying no gifts at all for my first-degree blood relatives, I wouldn't buy any gifts at all.


2. My mother yelled at me over the phone from hundreds of miles away because my house is not decorated for Chirstmas. I should have lied to her and claimed that I have ten thousands lights up and an inflatable santa on my lawn.


3. Reality: The Topologist has bought one short strand of xmas lights that he attached it to the quilt that hangs on the wall in the livingroom. There is a dying Christmas cactus in bloom in a pot. A pile of boxes from Amazon.com is building up on the floor, as everyone shopped for us online. Except my parents. They sent a roll of $25 in Zachary Taylor dollars, a purple bath mat, a pack of super-sticky post-it notes, and some corporate swag from somewhere my dad does consulting. Two days later a large check arrived, so I sent them a thank you text.


4. I've finally finished up everything from Fall 2009. Spring 2010 doesn't start until January 11 (meetings). I can't really do much more for my summer job until after Christmas because this is suboptimal timing for asking for favors. I suppose I could do research. I suppose I could do housework. I'm not sure what to do with myself if I'm not doing work.


5. Trying to decide between doing absolutely nothing on Christmas or else trying to find someone willing to go out for Chinese food or to the movies or something on Chirstmas. (The Topologist is going to visit his family with their highly allergenic and poorly behaved pets.)